Apparatus for preparing compresses



Feb. 4, 1947. J. H. EMERSON 2,415,238

APPARATUS FOR PREPARING COMPRESSES 0rigina1 Filed Jan. 26, 1943 Patented Feb. 4, 1947 UNITED STATES PATENT sOFl-lCEf-i APPARATUS FOR PREPARING COMPRESSES John H. Emerson, Cambridge, Mass.

Original application January 26, 1943, Serial No. 473,611, now Patent No. 2,381,974, dated August 14, 1945. Divided and this application June 12,

. 1943, SerialNo. 490,617

' This invention pertains to apparatus for use in'the preparation of hot compresses for therapeutic use, the present application being a division of application Serial No; $73,611 filed January 25,1943, and issued August 14, 1945, as'Patent No. 2,381,974. In the treatment of various pathological conditions, especially in the more recently developed therapy for the alleviation or cure of infantile paralysis, it is necessary to apply hot moist compresses tothe patients body and continuously to replace the compresses with fresh ones as those earlier applied cool to an ineffective temperature. Commonly these compresses are prepared by dipping the foldedpad of cloth into boiling water and wringing out the excesswater by the use of a clothes wringer, before they are applied. Compresses thus prepared are at a realsonably uniform temperature such that they may be handled by the attendant and such that they do not actually burn the patient when "applied and although the wringer removes water to the extent that they do not drip, they do contain the requisite moisture for effective use. However such mode of preparing compresses is troublesome as it necessitates the maintenance in or closely adjacent to the sick room of heating means for a vessel of hot water of sufficient capacity to permit introduction and removal of the compress pads, a wringer and a support for the latter, and the constant presence of an attendant. No matter how carefully the workbe done, water is always dripping or spilling on the floor, the .attendants hands may be burned in removing the compresses from the boiling water, and in general the procedure is crude and arduous and the apparatus employed is cumbersome and occupies much'space.

On the other hand steam sterilizers of the was employed for surgical use are not desirable in .the preparation of moist compresses, in par ticular because they deliver the compresses too hot for handling or application thus making it necessary that they be laidaside to cool until, by guess, they are at the proper temperature for application.

A principal object of the present invention is to provide a novel and useful apparatus for use invpreparing such hot compresses. A further ob- 2 Claims. (Cl. 68-5) capable of producing properly' heated and" moistenedcompresses without danger of spillingor dropping water about'its environment; which is rapid and substantiallynoiseless in operation; andfso devised as not only to prepare the com"- press'es but if desired to keep the prepared compresses at proper temperature and moisture conditions for a substantial period'and until it" is desired to apply them. M

Other and further objects and advantages of the invention Will be pointed out in the following detailed description and byreference companying drawing wherein Fig. 1 is a side elevation, partly in vertical sec-' tion and withc'ertain parts broken away, illustrating one desirable form of apparatus embodying the invention and by means of which the method may readily be performed; and

Fig. 2 is atop planview of the basket; which holds the compress pads while they are being heated and moistened.

Referring to the drawing the numeral I 'desig nates the preferred apparatus as a whole, such apparatus preferably, although not necessarily, comprising a table 2 mounted upon spaced vertical legs 3, 4 and 5 each of which is provided at its lowerend with a wheel swivel-caster E facilitating the ready movement of the apparatus from place to place. The legs 3, 4 and 5 are united and braced'near their lower ends by means of horizontal connecting bars I.

On the table 2 there is mounted a cylindrical housing or casing 8, preferably comprising an inner cylindrical member 8 spaced from the outer shell of the casing to provide an insulating space 9 which may contain any desired insulating material either solid or gaseous. 'A removable cover 10, preferably of insulating construction and having a handle H, is designed to close the upper end of the casing or housing 8, preferably having a depending marginalfiange l2 which fits snugly about the upper end of the casing. Within the lower part of the casing and preferably extending upwardly to a distance approximating one-half the height of the casing is an elongate tubular bearing I3 which is rigidly secured to the bottom of the casing, for example by welding. bearing receives a vertical, rotary shaft M which projects down throughan opening in the bottom of the casing and whose to the aclower end is supported upon an adjustable step bearing I5 carried by a bracket l6 depending from the underside of the table 2. A pulley I1 is secured to this lower part of the shaft 14 and receives a driving belt I8 which embraces a pulley IS on the shaft 20 of an electric motor 2| mounted in a bracket 22 suspended from the table 2.

The lower portion of the housing or casing 8 defines a boiler chamber 23 for the reception of a body of water, and within this chamber 23 is arranged a heating unit/24 which receives electric current from a suitable source 25, the current preferably being controlled by a switch and rheostat 26 capable of supplying current at different intensity to the heating unit 24. From the same source 25, current may be supplied to the motor 2| through a switch 21.

4 apparatus, the water boils substantially at atmospheric pressure and at a substantially constant temperature, and thus as the motor, turns at a substantially constant speed, the heat imparted to the compresses is substantially uniform. Likewise under these uniform temperature and pressure conditions, the amount of moisture taken up by the compresses will be substantially uniform. When the operation has continued for a suflicient length of time, which experimenthas shown .to be of the order of one minute, the motor may befstopped, the. cover In removed and the hot compresses may then be lifted from the basket for direct application to the patient. While these compresses are properly moistened-they do not drip when lifted from the basket and since all of the water em- Mounted upon the upper end of the spindle M is a basket 28, preferably'made of sheet material, for instance tinned copper or from' a moulded plastic such as synthetic resin. This basket comprises an axially arranged. sleeve ployed is contained within the casing 8, there is no danger of spillin or slopping water onto the floor or onto the bed. Thus the apparatus may be used if desired in close proximity to the bed of the patient. Moreover the attendant is not required to lift the compresses from a body of boiling water so that there is but slight danger, of burning his hands, and no necessity for himv to. express water from the. compresses before applyingthem, Furthermore, if several padsbe placedlwithin' the basket atthejsame time and all treated simultaneously, those. not immediately required for use may. be left in the basket with the cover l0 in place .f ral nm am 30*, the basket-is suspended upon the spindle and is coupled to the spindle so-as to partakeuof the rotary movement of the latter. Except. for the bar 3|, the basket is open at its top thus making iteasyto introduce compress pads into the basket and to remove them therefrom. The cylindrical side wall 33 of the basket, is of per.- forated material or, if preferred,of .a stiifopen mesh woven fabric, while the otherwise imperforate bottom wall 34 is-provided with a series of slots-35, preferably disposed generally radially,

each having associated with it a downwardly directed fan blade 36. These fan, b1 a'des are so arranged that when the basket isrotated by the motor, the blades tend to create an upward draft from the chamber 23 into the interior of the basket. I 1 In using-this device, the operator places .water in the chamber 23, the water level being kept below the bottom 34 of the-basket. The heating unit 24 is then energized and the water thus raised to the boiling point. The compress pads are placed within the basket 28. preferably so that they contact the side wall 33 of .the basket thus approximating circular arcs. .The cover. is then placed on the container and themotor is started, thus rotating the basket. at high speed. The space immediately below the. bottom. of the basket is filled with steam substantially atlatmospheric pressure; and this steam is drawn upwardly into the basket by the fan blades v36. Due to the centrifugal action, this steam is rapidly expelled through the compress pads and outwardly through the perforations in the wall 33 of the basket.. Some of this steam is condensed in passingthrough the compresses thus supplying. moisture to thelatter, and 'someof it mayspass completely throughethe wall or; the

fans36.

Since little pressure is developed within the tial time without appreciable change in temper ature or inmoisture content. Thus ,th'e attendant may preparea supply of compresses'at infrequent intervals and use them one .by one as required and without necessarily operating the apparatus each time aflcoi'npress is called. for.

While the apparatus has herein] been .particularly described with. reference to the preparation of hot compresses. at, a moderate temperature, it is obviously possible, if desired, to Produce very hot compresses by so. modifyingii'tlie container 8.as to permitthe developmehtoihigh pressure steam or vaporjtherein. Likewise, cold compresses may. be produced .by, cre ating,, in chamber 23 a refrigerant atmosphere.' ,.(atlbelow atmospheric pressure if desired) comprising for 7 example water vapor and/or gas, 3

. While one desirable embodiment of the invention is here illustrated by way ofexample it is to'beflunderstood that the invention is not neces; sarily limited to this precise arrangement but is tobe regarded as broadly inclusive of any. and

. allequivalent constructions suchas fall within the terms of the appended claims.

Iclaim: 1. Apparatus for use in preparing hot com pressesfor therapeutic use, said apparatus comprising a heat insulated casinghavinga space within its lower part for'the reception offa body of water, means for heating the water to boiling temperature, a rotatable basket within the upper part ofthe casing, said basketturningabout a substantially vertical axis and having perforate side walls and anr aperture in its bottom, afan' blade adjacent to said aperture arranged,as the basket rotates,.to induce the ,fio,W. Of steam up from the lower part of the casing int'othe basket; and means for rotating the basket at high speed thereby to project steam from its interior'fc'entrifugally through acompress ,pad placedw' bin ihebasket- 1 i 2. Apparatusifor use in th 'preparation U f-hot compresses; for" therapeutic use, said apparatus comprising a wheeled support upon which is mounted a substantially cylindrical casing whose lower portion constitutes a receptacle for water, a heating unit within the lower part of the receptacle, said unit being of a capacity sufficient to heat the water to boiling, a rotatable basket within the upper part of the receptacle, the basket turning about a substantially vertical axis and the bottom of the basket being above the water level and having an aperture therein, a fan blade associated with said aperture operative, as the basket is rotated, to induce an upward flow of steam from the receptacle into the interior of the basket, motor means on the support for rotating the basket at high speed, and a removable cover for the receptacle.

JOHN H. EMERSON.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record. in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 773,220 Patterson Oct. 25, 1904 2,023,013 Faber et a1. Dec. 3, 1935 1,869,510 Saunders Aug. 2, 1932 1,234,498 Seymour July 24, 1917 2,346,669 Dunharn Apr. 18, 1944 

